Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Hamburger....a hangover cure? Really?

by contributor Wendy Gordon

Sure, there’s the iconic question “which came first…the chicken or the
egg?” In DC, however, it’s more like “which came first…the burger or
the cupcake?” Perhaps those are queries for the ages. One thing is
certain…if you build it—whether sweet or savory, they will come.

Tuesday evening ushered in the opening of DC’s newest entry into the burger market, as Black and Orange opened its second location at 1931 14th Street. Chef Raynold Mendizabal’s burgers, built with seasonal ingredients that incorporate a variety of flavors from the inside out, ranging from an Asian-inspired Now and Zen, flavored with soy sauce and ginger, to the Marley-esque No Burger No Cry, which blends Jamaican habanero peppers with ground beef in the ‘jerk’ of burgers, made an appearance in mini form, feeding a packed house of burger aficionados and fans.

Chef Raynold Mendizabal, Owner of Black and Orange, swears his new burger "Hair of the Dog" incorporates
all the flavors of a Bloody Mary and is the perfect late night treat for a
hangover cure." His words, not ours.

"I like bold and aggressive flavors. For our burgers we like to let the
ingredients shine.

There's no reason to wimp out on taste.

There's
no reason to pile lots on top of a burger--we build our tastes from the
inside mixing the freshest herbs, spices and vegetables into every
patty," he said.

Black
and Orange in the U Street Corridor is Mendizabal's latest invention.
The Cuban-born chef was a math and physics researcher before coming to
the US in 1995, so rest assured, he knows how to mix and match his
ingredients.

Black and Orange serves up its beefy disks from 11 a.m. to 5 a.m. daily and better yet, they deliver. Come ON, people, We all know that among the best hangover remedies is a burger and fries—add the Bloody Mary touch to it, and it’s the perfect cure for what ails you in one neat little package sandwiched in a bun.

Where else but our fair city would the opening of a burger joint be a festival that attracts an ‘A’ list of well wishers and is the cause for celebration? Good thing they have the Hangover Burger—now, not only do we have every reason to throw a cocktail party, we have a post event elixir.